Professional Documents
Culture Documents
LIFE PLAN
CORPORATION
(NAR) VOL. 22 NO. 1, JANUARY - MARCH 2011
I. RATIONALE
Over the past decades, practices involving disposal of the dead have
undergone profound transformation, not only in the Philippines but
worldwide. These changes requires revision of the subject implementing
rules and regulations to improve the quality of embalming practice in the
country to become globally comparable with other countries. Embalmers
today are therefore, looked up to, because of the significant services they
render including counseling assistance to bereaved parties.
This revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) shall adopt among
others, the current trends and modern practices of embalming towards
competence and globally competitiveness of the profession, hence improve
the quality of health service delivery.
III. SCOPE
15. Local Health Officer – This refers to the officer heading the health team
of the local health authority; the provincial, city or municipal health officer.
16. Morgue – This refers to a place in which dead bodies are temporarily
kept pending identification, autopsy and/or removal for final disposition.
17. Regional Director – This refers to the DOH official heading the Regional
Health Office or the Center for Health Development (CHD).
18. Sanitary Engineer – This refers to a person duly registered with the
Board of Examiners for Sanitary Engineers (Republic Act 1364) and who
heads the Sanitation Division/ Section/Unit of the provincial, city or
municipal health office or rural health unit or employed with the Department
of Health or its regional health offices.
22. Undertaking – the care, transport and disposal of the body of a deceased
person by any means other than embalming.
V. GENERAL GUIDELINES
Article I
Sanitary Requirements in Establishments and Operations
It is recognized that viral hemorrhagic fever, yellow fever, plague and SARS
1.5 The following are the requirements when the cause of death is
dangerous communicable disease:
1.5a The remains shall be placed in a plastic cadaver bag or other
durable, airtight container at the point of death and a biohazard tag
attached, provided, that, this container shall not be opened for viewing
or any other purpose prior to burial or cremation;
3.1.2 Embalmers
3.1.2a Embalmers shall be licensed to practice only after
compliance with the requirements prescribed by the Department of
Health. Such license is renewable every three (3) years on their birth
month at their respective regional health offices;
3.3 The number of Category II and III establishments that may be served by
a Category I establishment shall be governed by the table below.
The fees payable for every inspection shall be of such amount prescribed by
local ordinance.
FLOW CHART OF EVALUATION AND INSPECTION PROCEDURE
(See Image (NAR) VOL. 22 NO. 1/ JANUARY - MARCH 2011 page 265)
City/Municipal Health Officer or Chief of Sanitation Division / Section / Unit
or local health office, issues a Mission Order (EHS Form No. 112) as
specified in Sect. 8.3.b.
(See Image (NAR) VOL. 22 NO. 1/ JANUARY - MARCH 2011 page 265)
Sanitary Engineer / Sanitation Inspector conducts the sanitation Inspection
5.1 Membership
5.1.1 There shall be a Committee of Examiners for Undertakers and
Embalmers, hereinafter referred to as the “Committee”, which shall be
under the direct supervision of the Secretary of Health (DOH). It shall
be a collegial body composed of a chairperson and members to be
appointed by the Secretary of Health;
6.7.1 Issuance
6.7.1.a All examinees who have passed the required
examination shall be issued a certificate of registration duly
signed by the chairperson of the Committee and approved by the
Secretary of Health
6.7.1.b The certificate of registration shall bear the recent
picture and signature of the successful examinee and will be valid
for three (3) years. Payment of registration and miscellaneous fees
shall be paid to the Department of Health (central offices).
6.7.1.c The certificate of registration shall be posted
conspicuously in the establishment concerned.
6.7.1.d Renewal of the Certificate of Registration
- An embalmer shall apply for the renewal of the certificate of
registration on his / her birth month and pay the registration and
miscellaneous fees every three years in any Regional Health
Office/Center for Health Development;
Article III
Practice of Undertaking and Embalming
7.1.1 No embalmer shall embalm any remains without first obtaining the
corresponding death certificate duly signed by the attending physician or, in
the absence of an attending physician, the city/municipal health officer and
permission of the responsible family member, provided, that, in case the
death certificate is not available and to avoid delay in sanitizing the
remains, the embalmer may proceed with a written “permission to embalm”
executed by the attending physician or an “attestation of death” executed
irr 856 sanitation code of the philippines 15
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LIFE PLAN
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by a local health officer. Both documents shall contain the name of the
deceased, age, sex and home address. The “permission to embalm” shall
also indicate the cause of death;
7.1.2 The said embalmer, before proceeding on his/her work, must assure
himself/herself that no autopsy of the remains will be necessary for medico-
legal and pathological purposes;
7.1.3 No embalmer shall embalm any dead human body that died from
dangerous communicable disease as set out in Section 1.4 above. If the
embalmer is uncertain if a communicable disease case should or should not
be embalmed, the same shall be reported first to the local health officer
before embalming;
7.1.4 Every licensed embalmer shall certify, sign and affix his/her license
number after his/her signature on the back of the death certificate stating
the time and date of embalming. Failure to do so, he/she must submit to the
Municipal Health Officer a sworn statement attesting that he/she did
embalm the corresponding body executed before two witnesses who were
present at the time of embalming;
7.1.5 No embalmer shall embalm any dead human body with any fluid or
preparation of any kind containing arsenic, strychnine, mercury, or any
poisonous alkaloid without special permission from the Secretary of Health
or his duly authorized representative;
7.1.9 Embalmers shall comply with the procedure, method of embalming and
embalming fluid to be used; and other preparations promulgated by the
Committee and approved by the Secretary of Health; and
7.2.1 The undertaker shall ensure that the remains are properly laid in the
casket and free from odor and excess moisture to the extent possible;
7.2.2 The undertaker shall be responsible for the physical arrangements of
the remains including the make-up, floral and lighting arrangement;
7.2.3 The undertaker shall prepare the burial site to meet the provision of
these rules and regulations; and
7.2.4 The undertaker shall accompany the remains from the funeral parlor to
the burial site.
11.2 All licensed embalmers and other personnel who shall violate the
provisions of the Code on Sanitation of the Philippines (P.D 856) and
these implementing rules and regulations shall be punishable by
revocation / suspension of license to practice the profession, or shall
be prosecuted before the Court of Justice as provided for in Section
103 (a) and (b) of the said Presidential Decree.